Presentation Maker Prezi Added New Features To Lure Business Users Away From PowerPoint

Julie Bort, provided by

Published 2:19 pm, Thursday, November 14, 2013

Prezi, the San Francisco startup that let's you create visually compelling presentations, now has over 30 million users, and it just added several new features to make it more appealing to enterprises.

The site has grown so popular that it's adding over a million new users a month with a new Prezi being created every second, it says. It's on track to end 2013 with 36 million users, CEO Peter Arvai told Business Insider.

"It's a unique ability to arrange information spatially, not just visually," Arvai says.

But it's also popular because it's free, as long as you're willing to publicly share your presentation. Private presentations cost $5 per month hosted on its cloud and $13.25/month for a combo cloud/software version, that lets you work offline on a PC, Mac, and iPad.

The strategy is working for Prezi, which was founded in 2009. It's been "cash flow positive since year one," Arvai says. While he wouldn't say how many users pay for the service, he said enough of them to cover their costs without dipping into any of the money they have raised.

Prezi raised $14 million in 2011, lead by Accel ($14.2 million total) and is also backed by TED Talks.

Now Prezi is upping its game to attract more enterprise users, otherwise known as the Microsoft PowerPoint holdouts.

The Windows, Mac and iPad/iOS versions have added real-time collaboration, allowing up to 10 people to work on a Prezi at the same time.

You can also give use Prezi over the Internet for up to 30 people in different locations. They can simultaneously view the Prezi while you present.